The Seconds in a Heartbeat
by Nekoi Hiokans
Summary: Waiting. Everything came down to the waiting. Waiting for news, waiting for Dr. Motorcycle boy to go poof, and waiting to hear those all-important words said back to him. Really, the whole world came down to waiting. 3x24 spoilers, post-season fic.


The Seconds in a Heartbeat

Waiting. Everything came down to the waiting. Waiting for news about her, waiting for Dr. Motorcycle boy to go poof, and waiting to hear those all-important words said back to him. Really, the whole world came down to waiting.

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><p>It had been hours. Six hours to be exact. Kate Beckett had been rushed into surgery almost 6 hours ago. The surgical waiting room at the hospital had become a tense place. Esposito and Lanie were in a corner all of their own, Lanie's hiccupping sobs still coming out on occasion. Ryan stood by a window, his face completely blank. Jim Beckett and Martha were sitting on each side of Alexis, running hands up and down her back, her tear-stained face revealing the inner turmoil she felt. The Montgomery family sat across the room from the trio, shock the only feature on their face.<p>

But you could feel everyone's stares on Castle's back. Castle had taken his post by the door. He was the one that everyone was the most worried about, next to Beckett herself. He hadn't said much of anything since a few orderlies had ushered him into the waiting room. Martha had tried to talk to him, but he only gave her a blank, dead look and said the only words anyone needed to hear.

"_I told her. I told her that I loved her. I'm a fool. A goddamned fool." He scoffed at this. "If she dies…I don't know what I'll do. I really don't." Martha said nothing, only pulling him into a hug as he starting crying, pouring the pain in his heart out onto the shoulder of the woman he had leaned on for so many years._

The Castle now was stone-faced. You couldn't tell that he had even been crying. And maybe that was good thing especially with the person that had just appeared in front of him.

"Castle. You're here." Beckett's boyfriend, aka Dr. Motorcycle Boy. Also, the last person Richard Castle wanted to see today.

"Yeah, I'm here. Where did you think I would be?" Josh flashed a smile that spoke of malicious intent before responding.

"Well, from what I've heard, you're quite the playboy. I'm honestly surprised that you aren't off signing someone's chest." That was the last straw. Castle's face went from blank to furious. Before Esposito or Ryan could even move a muscle, Castle was beating the good doctor's face in with his fist. By the time the duo pulled him back, he had gotten a few more in.

It may have been a cheap victory, punching Kate's boyfriend, but it was still a victory. And that's all that mattered in Castle's book right now.

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><p>Six hours turned into seven. Josh was still in the waiting room, but he was very far away from Castle. He didn't want to see how short the man's temper could really be. Castle himself had finally sat down, but he was still on edge. They still had no news on Beckett. And seven hours was about to turn into eight.<p>

"Family of Kate Beckett?" The doctor had snuck up on them, but the first one of their feet, to no one's surprise, was Castle, Lanie, Esposito, and Ryan.

"How is she?" The doctor reeled slightly at the burst of energy, before smiling and answering them.

"She's going to be just fine. She's in recovery now. Also, which one of you is Richard Castle?" Castle stepped forward warily.

"That's me sir." The doctor nodded.

"Well, she's been awake for at least an hour and has been bugging the nurses to see you. We wanted to make sure she wasn't going to have any adverse reactions to the anesthesia before we came to get family. Do you want to see her?" Castle looked at Jim Beckett, who only nodded his assent. Castle looked back at the doctor and nodded as well. "Ok then, follow me." The doctor turned and left, Castle fast behind him. Once they were in the recovery area, the doctor gave more details on Beckett.

"Now, she is NOT to make large or fast movements. We do NOT want to reopen that wound. Also, on her release, she is NOT allowed to be at her house alone. Does she have someone who can stay with her or somewhere else she can stay?" Castle nodded again and the doctor continued. "She's on vicodin for the pain and she has a morphine drip if it gets REALLY bad. Other than that, I want to keep her for at least 48 hours to make sure all is well, then we can release her to whoever will be taking care of her." They stopped outside a door. "Well Mr. Castle, we part here." The doctor walked away and Castle took a deep breath, steeling himself.

He used to tell himself that the only time he'd ever see Kate Beckett in hospital, it would be because she was having a kid. But those were only delusions. Sick, twisted delusions.

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><p>Kate turned her head slightly when she heard the door open and she let out a sigh of relief when she saw it was Castle.<p>

"Hey." Her voice was raspy, but it still travelled far enough for him to hear. It brought a weary smile to his face.

"Hey yourself." He made his way to the side of the bed and let out a breath when he saw that she was alive, that he wasn't imaging all this. "You really need to stop almost dying on me." He was trying. Trying to not show how rattled he really was. But Beckett saw through it. She always did.

"Yeah, I told the universe that. Guess it didn't get my memo." Kate laced her fingers with his, giving him physical proof that she was alive.

"Kate…" He was cut off by a finger to his lips.

"Hush. I think it's time for me to share with the class." Castle nodded and Beckett moved her finger away. "Rick…I heard what you said after I was shot, when you were pleading with me to not go." Rick gripped her hand a little more tightly, the memories returning. "I realized that maybe the universe has been telling us something and we've just been ignoring it. No more. Rick…I…" She stopped and took a deep breath of air, the gravity of everything setting in. "I love you too." And that was all she needed to say. No embellishments, no crying, nothing else; Just those words.

Because if they were to be honest with themselves, there were no words that they could put to this, they could only try their hardest with the ones they had.

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><p>AN: RAWR! I feel like this is so shitty, but I don't know else to do, I just need to get this out of my system…liek nao. So, read, tell me it's crap, then wait impatiently for season 4. Cause that's what all the cool kids are doing.

Au Revoir!


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